I’m back in Abuja after

I’m back in Abuja after a couple nights away. On Thursday we drove for 6 hours to get to Kano, a major city in the north. I spent the rest of the afternoon on Thursday and the morning on Friday training the staff of 6 offices up there. The Regional Security Officer (RSO) said that we had to be out of Kano by 1:00pm, the start of afternoon prayers. The city is mostly moslem and had been the site of some trouble in the past, so he was being safe.

Leaving at 1:00 didn’t give us time to make it back to Abuja on Friday night because the drivers are not allowed to have us on the road after 6:00pm. Things get a little more dangerous after that time, though it is better than before. Bandits aren’t blocking the roads any more and there are increased military patrols, but again being safe is good. We stopped for the night in the city of Kaduna, about 3 hours out of Abuja and stayed in a little hotel that was quite like some of the pensions Anne & I used on our Spain vacation. No frills at all, in other words. I did get a couple mosquito bites but have been taking my malaria pills every day.

Tonight I’ve a birthday party to go to (celebrating the 2nd anniversary of a 25th birthday) and then tomorrow afternoon I’m off to Lagos. That’s when it get real exciting I’m told. Apparently Lagos puts New York City to shame. Can’t wait to find out.